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Human Rights and Media in Uganda; a Critical Analysis of the Mass Media Freedom

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Human Rights and Media in Uganda; a Critical Analysis of the Mass Media Freedom United Kingdom Sweden Norway Human Rights and Media in Uganda; A critical Analysis of the Mass Media Freedom. By Bob Denis Odongo SOA- 3902 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree: Master of Arts in Human Rights Practice School of Global Studies, University of Göteborg, Sweden School of Business and Social Sciences, University of Roehampton, London Department of Archaeology and Social Anthropology, University of Tromsø, Norway Spring 2012 i ii Declaration form The work I have submitted is my own effort. I certify that all the material in the Thesis which is not my own work has been identified and acknowledged. No materials are included for which a degree has been previously conferred upon me. Signed: Odongo Bob Denis (Student) Date: May 22, 2012 iii Acknowledgements I wish to extend my appreciation to my supervisor, Professor Jon Ragnvald Schackt for his guidance in coming up with this great academic text. Thank you, Erasmus Mundus Human Rights Practice lecturers from the Consortium Universities of Roehampton, Göteborg and Tromsø. Sarah Gartland from the Department of Languages University of Roehampton, you have been so kind in editing this Thesis. The European Union Commission, I am so grateful for the prestigious Erasmus Mundus scholarship, you made my dream a reality. Fellow MA Human Rights Practice 2010/2012 Cohort, it has been a long journey, but your encouragements made the journey shorter than I expected. Lastly, my family and friends in Uganda, you are amazing people; your encouragements saw me through with this great academic struggle. iv Abstract The study aimed at investigating the level of independence and freedom of the mass media industry in Uganda. It explored the challenges that media professionals practically go through and face in the process of carrying out media work and practicing their professions in Uganda, and secondly, it identified how both the existing and newly proposed laws impact on the mass media freedom in Uganda while drawing from the domestic, national, regional and international laws. Qualitative methods were used in this research with interviews and content Analysis being central. The findings indicate that the mass media in Uganda is still not free as most respondents concurred with what is in the documented reports by HRW, Amnesty International, UHRC, IFEX, CPJ, and HRNJ about media censorship in Uganda. A critical analysis of the various media laws in Uganda revealed that they have not been aligned to regional and international standards. The study, recommends among other things that the government of Uganda should respect freedom of expression as laid down under the constitution, regional and international laws. Secondly, that the media laws in Uganda should be revisited, to meet the regional and international standard by way of repealing clauses that are hostile and unfriendly to free practice of mass media. A self-regulatory media system should be adopted as a way of ensuring less interference by the government in the regulatory process. Key words: Human Rights and Media in Uganda, Freedom of expression in Uganda, Media and Press freedom in Uganda, Censorship of Mass Media in Uganda. v List of Abbreviations ACME: African Centre for Media Excellence CSO: Civil Society Organisations CPJ: Committee to Protect Journalists CBS: Central Broadcasting Service DEM group: Democracy Election Monitoring Group DISOs: District Internal Security Officers FDC: Forum for Democratic Change FM: Frequency Modulation HRW: Human Rights Watch HRNJ-U: Human Rights Network for Journalists -Uganda HURINET-U: Human Rights Network of Uganda IFEX: International Freedom of Expression Exchange ICCPR: International Covenant on Civil and Political rights KFM: Kampala Frequency Media NRM: National Resistance Movement NMG: Nation Media Group NTV: Nations Television RDCs: Resident District Commissioners UBOS: Uganda Bureau of Statistics UCC: Uganda Communication Commission UHRC: Uganda Human Rights Commission UDHR: Universal Declaration of Human Rights WBS TV: Wavah Broadcasting Service Television NB: IREX is an international non-profit organization providing thought leadership and innovative programs to promote positive lasting change globally vi Table of Contents Declaration form .................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................ iv Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... v List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................. vi Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................. vii CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 1 1.0 Background ....................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 History of Media Broadcasting in Uganda ....................................................................................... 2 1.2 Liberalization of the Mass Media in Uganda .................................................................................... 2 1.3 Riots and Demonstrations and their impact on the Media. ............................................................... 4 1.4 Statement of the problem .................................................................................................................. 5 1.5 The Research Objectives ................................................................................................................... 6 1.6 The Research Questions .................................................................................................................... 6 1.7 Scope of the study ............................................................................................................................. 6 1.8 Outline of the Thesis ......................................................................................................................... 7 CHAPTER TWO .................................................................................................................................. 8 Literature Review and Analytical Frame work ....................................................................................... 8 2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 8 2.2 The Communication Theory and Human Rights .............................................................................. 8 2.4 The Historical Approach to the Mass Media .................................................................................. 11 2.5 Mass Media and Human Rights; the Legal Obligations ................................................................. 13 2.6 Restrictive Legislations ................................................................................................................... 16 CHAPTER THREE ............................................................................................................................ 17 Methodology ......................................................................................................................................... 17 3.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 17 3.2 The Approach .................................................................................................................................. 17 vii 3.4 Study Design ................................................................................................................................... 18 3.5 Data Collection Methods ................................................................................................................ 18 3.6 Data Management and Analysis ..................................................................................................... 20 3.7 Limitations and Delimitation of the study ...................................................................................... 21 3.8 Ethical considerations ..................................................................................................................... 22 CHAPTER FOUR ............................................................................................................................... 23 Findings, Analysis and Discussions ...................................................................................................... 23 4.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 23 4.2 Perceptions of the people interviewed ............................................................................................ 23 4.3 Self-Censorship and the Media Freedom .......................................................................................
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